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American Michael Lewis continues pursuit of Formula One

It's no surprise that the racing bug bit Michael Lewis through his father, Steve, a former racer and editor of PRI Magazine.

“I was, at a very young age, at race tracks for oval, midget-car racing events,” Michael, 21, said of his father's influence. “And [my Dad] always owned race cars, so I was always around the pits. It was kind of this natural progression to something I'm doing now that I love.”

However, the younger Lewis never intended to become a prodigy, an attitude his father helped him manage.

“He was pretty big [in terms of developing my love of racing], but in the sense of having the opportunity there to be involved in racing, not pushing me to become the next star,” Lewis added. “He was there just with the presence of racing and he really brought that into my lifestyle.”

Lewis's competitive career began in Quarter Midgets at the age of 12. Between 2003 and 2005, a pair of championships in the Senior Honda and Light 160 Honda classes affirmed his talent.

His career then took an interesting turn. Though he and his family boasted a strong oval-racing background, they elected to pursue another segment of the sport.

“We said 'OK, that's great we have that background, but let's try something else to gain as much knowledge as we can,'” said the Californian. “That's been the big theme in my life: to push your limit even if you're not comfortable.”

In a way, the desire to race different machinery makes Lewis a throwback in today's era of driver specialization.

“A race car is a race car, whether it's a stock car, dragster, or whatever,” Lewis explained. “You still have that same mentality you bring to the racetrack for that particular event.”

An established friendship with factory Porsche driver Patrick Long provided Lewis a great mentor to ease the transition. Long not only coached Lewis through the road-racing ranks, but helped him establish vital connections in Europe.

“Patrick put us in contact with CRG Go-Karts and Zanardi Go-Karts,” Lewis said.

Lewis's transition eventually led him to Europe, where he began an open-wheel career. According to Lewis, the move was a necessity.

“Racing environment-wise, for Formula cars and that type of world, you have to be in Europe,” he acknowledged. “Formula-car racing, the epicenter is here in Europe. There's just more people, more cars. So, the competition's really intense.”

The 2011 season was a landmark for the young American. Contesting the Italian Formula Three championship with Prema Powerteam, he won a series-high three races, claimed rookie championship honors and was second overall in points. As a reward, he received the chance of lifetime: a Ferrari Formula One test, the first for an American since Mario Andretti raced for the marque in 1982. Though honored, Lewis was surprised to see the car was not overwhelming in appearance.

“The car's really small actually, since the 2009 homologation,” he laughed. “I was looking at pictures, it's really small. In IndyCar, it's a huge car, but the F1 car is really compact.”

Lewis also had the advantage of being familiar with the engineering staff through teammate and good friend Rafaelle Marciello, a Ferrari factory driver in his own right who remains Lewis's teammate this year. “It was like I went to an F3 test, just with a faster car basically!” Lewis quipped.

Though he took some time to adapt to the car's brakes, Lewis held his own and detailed his excitement with driving the car.

“I was fast, I was also testing with another driver who was the champion of Italian Formula Three, Sergio Campana. He beat me by two tenths. But, on the lap I was completing, I was the same as him, but I ran out of fuel,” he laughed. “It was good, the only thing I had to improve upon was the use of the brakes; they're extremely powerful. I was constantly being told 'You can push harder on the brake' and it just kept getting better and better. But, for me it was good just to feel how powerful the car is.”

The 2012 season has been much busier for Lewis. He contests the Formula 3 Euro Series, still with Prema Powerteam, and is now contracted to Mercedes-Benz, which supplies Prema with engines and factory support. He has also become a spokesman for the FIA Young Driver Institute, in which he promotes improved track and road safety while receiving tutorship for his own racing.

On the competition side, Lewis's year has been more of a challenge, with seven finishes of 11th or worse. Still, Lewis has persevered, accumulating a handful of podiums and recently grabbing his first win of the season at Valencia in Spain.

“Italian F3, okay I won in it and I was really strong, but I quickly realized [the Euro Series] was going to be very difficult,” Lewis said of his progression. “So, you've got to dig deep. Now, I'm always there, fighting for top fives.”

While he maintains that F1 is his ultimate goal, Lewis is open to other opportunities, whether they are in F1, Germany's DTM touring-car series, IndyCar or somewhere else. And while his 2013 plans are still coming together, he thanked both Prema and Mercedes-Benz for simply giving him a chance.

“[Mercedes-Benz] gave me the great opportunity to compete in Formula Three for this season, as well as a select amount of other drivers,” he said. “We will see what happens for next season, but again, I am very grateful for the chance they gave me. I can't thank them enough, and Prema for also getting me into their program.”

Lewis' diverse background could indeed open doors. He hesitates to call himself a “throwback,” despite his wide-ranging resume, and he doesn't seem to get ahead of himself.

“I feel grateful to have been able to race, compete, and test many different vehicles on street circuits, road circuits and ovals,” he said. “I may be a throwback, I may not be, but what I do know is that I just love to drive race cars wherever and whenever I can. We'll see what the future will hold, so for now, I'll just keep trying to make myself a better race car driver every day.”